A New Wave of English Language Exams on your Campus - IELTS

2011 NCTA Annual Conference San Diego, CA

www.ielts.org

Akiko Aharonian
Testing Office University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Aubree Gold
ELS San Diego, San Diego, CA

www.ielts.org

Presentation Overview
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
What is IELTS?
Why and how to become a IELTS test center? Test Administration in a college setting

UA Testing Office and IELTS (Off-site testing)

ELS San Diego and IELTS / San Diego State Univ. (Off-site testing with other existing IELTS test centers)

6. Q & A
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What is IELTS?
Four skills test Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking
English as an international language

2 modules Academic and General Training

Pen and paper delivery, face to face Speaking test 3 international test partners Cambridge ESOL, British
Council, IDP: IELTS Australia

www.ielts.org

Test Format
Total time = 2 hours 55 minutes
Listening
4 sections, 40 items (40 minutes)

Academic Reading
3 sections, 40 items (60 minutes)

General Training Reading

3 sections, 40 items (60 minutes)

Academic Writing
2 tasks (60 minutes)

General Training Writing

2 tasks (60 minutes)

Speaking
1:1 oral interview (11-14 minutes)

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Scoring
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Expert User Very Good User Good User Competent User Modest User Limited User Extremely Limited User Intermittent User Non User Did Not Attempt the Test

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Recognition
Over 6,000 organizations globally in 135 countries 3,000 US institutions and programs Test Report Form Verification site Electronic score downloads

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Candidature
over 1,4 million candidates tested globally in 2010

US candidature:
students applying for graduate and undergraduate study in the US, Britain, Canada and Australia applicants for immigration to Canada and Australia healthcare professionals applying to work in US hospitals and for US permanent residency

www.ielts.org

Test centers

Test locations in 135 countries Currently 39 US anchor test centers

operating 61 test locations

www.ielts.org

Why become a test center?

Develop a new income stream - testing at your center and
off-site

Provide professional development opportunities to campus

staff

Open new markets - attract new students to your campus

offer wrap-around products

Provide a service to your students and the community

www.ielts.org

Application Process
Application form and Web Requirement Guide Business case questionnaire Site visit
Center access / Security & Storage / Staff / Test Equipments / Testing rooms / Marketing

Service Agreement

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Set up
Business plan including marketing plan Where will the center be housed and managed?
Provide office and storage space Computer with internet, printer, scanner

Recruit
IELTS Administrator Examiners (Speaking and Writing) from faculty and local schools Clerical Markers (Listening and Reading) Invigilators

Free on site training for Administrator, Examiners, Clerical Markers,

Invigilators

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Local test administration

Promoting testing services locally Processing and confirming candidate online
registrations, including collection of fee

Reserving test rooms to deliver paper based test and

also for face to face Speaking tests

Marking 4 test papers onsite and issuing results from

center

Providing candidate customer service Managing IELTS staff and materials Storing applications, test and related materials safely.
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Revenue
Breakdown of income and costs / one candidate
(FY1011)
Test fee collected from candidate: Less fee remitted to IELTS International: Estimated gross total per candidate tested: $185.00 $ -80.00 $ 41.69

Less estimated local costs testing one candidate: $ -63.31

www.ielts.org

Becoming an IELTS Center

Establishing a Service Agreement Between IELTS Inc. and
your institution. This is a contractual document that will need to be reviewed and authorized by the Dean, Director or appropriate governing authority at your institution.

Key obligations of the Service Agreement:

Establish test dates and capacity Make all the necessary arrangements and meet all reasonable costs for IELTS test delivery and administration Register candidates and collect all test fees

www.ielts.org

Becoming an IELTS Test Center

Key obligations of the Service Agreement:
Provide all staffing for administration and delivery of the test (recruiting, hiring, training). Adhere to the IELTS Code of Practice with particular reference to the security arrangements Attend the mandatory IELTS Annual General Meeting held every 18 months for updates and training.

www.ielts.org

Staffing your IELTS Test Center

IELTS Administrator: designated staff person who
oversees all facets of test delivery and staffing.

Administrative Staff: personnel who register candidates,

respond to inquiries, enter test scores, issue test results

Clerical Markers: trained to grade the listening and reading

answer sheets

Proctors (Invigilators): if you have an existing proctor pool,

they can be trained as IELTS invigilators

www.ielts.org

Staffing your IELTS Test Center

Examiners: experienced educators with a recognized
qualification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Recruit from ESL/English Language Programs Application process includes review by Examiner Trainer and interview Induction: general overview of IELTS prior to training Training: 4 day intensive training program, center to provide copies of all training materials and meals Certification: assessment tool for the marking criteria

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University of Arizona
IELTS History at UA Testing Center
Marketing challenges (Location Disadvantage) Off-site strategy in Phoenix, Las Cruces and Salt Lake City Regional demand for test is still developing

TOEFL versus IELTS

TOEFL: Ready-made with a limitation for the test demand IELTS: DIY with a flexibility for test demand

Off-Site Testing
Extended services to Phoenix

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ELS Language Centers

Partnership with IELTS to be official Testing Center o Established partnership in 2002 o On/Off Campus locations

o 28 ELS/IELTS Testing Centers 10 off-site testing locations www.ielts.org

San Diego State University

Off-Site Testing Agreement o Offer IELTS exams 3-5 times per year on campus Reserve block of seats for ALI students o Host enrollment sessions o Provide testing services o ALI - IELTS teachers take IELTS exams for experience

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San Diego State University

Benefits Provide students with more testing options Increased convenience & comfort for ALI students Advertising SDSU-ALI to potential students

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